Value intervals are important criteria in many applications, including analytical applications, dashboards, and other systems associated with metrics. By providing a value interval, responsive data can be presented to users to allow for a filtered set of data to be provided. Time-based intervals are one particular type of interval relevant to reporting and analytics. By providing a defined time period or interval, data sets can be filtered and analyzed in order to provide information specific and limited to the defined time range. Other types of intervals or ranges may also be used to filter and analyze data as appropriate, including geographical regions, product categories, job types, as well as any other data or information suitable for value intervals.
Touch screen and multi-touch devices provide methods for entering information through the use of a pointer, finger, or other touch-based device or tool. In general, multi-touch devices provide users with the ability to apply multiple finger gestures simultaneously onto a visual display in order to send complex commands to the device. Current methods of selecting value intervals include using a visualization of a monthly calendar to select a start and end date and/or time for a time interval by selecting specific dates on the calendar display. In these methods, time interval information can be input by a mouse, keyboard, or touch screen by selecting a specific date, and then separately selecting a particular time during the day. Additionally, some touch screen devices may provide a time interval selection mechanism that uses a visualization of “rolling” values to enter times. In those instances, users can manipulate separate bars, each containing information on discrete values for each of the date, hour, minute, and/or second, to select a specific time. After selecting a first value, users can then repeat the process to select another time interval endpoint.